This Week In Landrum…...
This Week in Landrum
From the City Administrator’s Office — Wednesday, June 24, 2026
A Note from the Administrator
Local government is the level of government closest to the citizen, and — paradoxically — the level most often left out of the conversation. National politics gets the headlines. State politics gets the campaign signs. Meanwhile, the decisions that actually shape what your morning commute looks like, what your downtown feels like on a Saturday, whether your child has a safe park to play in, and what you pay in property taxes are made in rooms like the one on Rutherford Street, by neighbors you can call by name. The smaller the room, the bigger the impact of every voice in it.
This week is a case in point. Tonight, June 24 at 6:00 p.m., Council will hold a Special Meeting with public hearings on the FY27 Budget and the new elementary school rezoning, followed by second readings and adoption. The agenda packet — including the full proposed budget — is available on the City’s website. I want to encourage every resident and business owner to do two things: read the materials in advance and come to the meeting if you can. A public hearing is not theater. It is one of the few moments in our system where the people in charge are legally required to stop, sit down, and listen to you before voting. Use it.
But engagement is bigger than anyone meeting. The healthiest small cities I have ever seen are the ones where citizens show up not only when they are angry, but when they are curious — at Coffee with the City, at the Farmers Market, at Planning Commission meetings, at a Council work session on a quiet Tuesday when no controversial item is on the agenda. They are the ones where residents serve on boards and commissions, where business owners walk into City Hall to ask a question before it becomes a problem, where neighbors recruit other neighbors to run for office. Government works when citizens decide, in dozens of small ways, that it belongs to them — because it does.
From our side, the job is to make engagement as easy as possible: packets posted a week in advance, decisions explained in plain language, doors held open, phones answered, and a real welcome to anyone who shows up. We are not perfect at this, but we are getting better at it every week — and we owe you that effort. From your side, the ask is simple: when something matters, show up. Read the packet. Send the email. Take the meeting. Run for the seat. This city is built to respond to its citizens. The more of you who lean in, the stronger Landrum gets.
On a personal note — and one that touches almost every City Hall in the region right now — June is one of the busiest months of the year in local government. Budgets must be adopted, grant deadlines stack up, and accounting closeouts for the fiscal year ending June 30 land on top of the day-to-day. I feel that pressure on multiple fronts: in addition to my role here, my law practice represents several other local governments working through the same calendar at the same time. It is the kind of month that reminds you how much steady, behind-the-scenes work it takes to keep public institutions running — and how grateful I am for the staff and elected officials in each of these communities who carry that load.
As a reminder, I am serving in this interim role part-time while continuing my practice and instruction from time to time. I am generally in the office at City Hall on weekday mornings.
What Happened This Week:
• Planning Commission work session on Tuesday June 23 @ 5:30 p.m. The agenda can be found online.
• Finalized the agenda and packet for the Special Council Meeting on Wednesday, June 24 at 6:00 p.m., including public hearings and second readings on the FY27 Budget and elementary school property rezoning. The agenda, the full proposed budget, and supporting materials are posted on the City’s website. We encourage residents and business owners to review in advance and attend the meeting.
• Began a full inventory and assessment of the City’s planning and zoning practices and capabilities. This is foundational work. We are taking an honest look at what tools we have, what tools we are missing, where our ordinances and procedures are out of step with state law or municipal best practices, and what capacity we need internally to keep up with growth pressure, downtown vitality, the new school project, and Saluda Grade Trail. The findings will drive a clear set of recommendations for Council in the months ahead.
• Continued staff coordination on the Saluda Grade Trail, with focus on what Landrum will need at the trailhead and along the corridor for safety, parking, and visitor experience.
• Continued one-on-one outreach with business owners working through this year’s business licensing process, and continued progress on collecting overdue business licenses.
• Continued implementation planning for the new municipal court system, which must be in place by December 31, 2026 per state requirements.
• Revie and Scottie continued right-of-way clearing, mowing, and weed eating, keeping up with the growth the recent rain has brought us.
What We’re Working on Now:
• Final preparations for the June 24 Special Council Meeting. For the detailed budget and supporting materials, please see the agenda packet on the City’s website.
• Final preparations for A Taste of the Market on Saturday, June 27 — which is SOLD OUT. Thank you to everyone who jumped on tickets.
• Continued planning and zoning inventory and assessment, in coordination with Deputy City Administrator April Williams and the City Attorney.
• Final evaluation of IT service providers, with a recommendation targeted for the next Council agenda.
• Continued internal work on next steps from the Classification and Compensation Study Report.
• Ongoing maintenance and improvement discussions for Brookwood Park.
• Continued coordination with School District One staff, architects, and engineers on the proposed site plans for the new school coming to our area.
• Continued engagement with the South Carolina Main Street Program and the Municipal Association of South Carolina as we work toward bringing the Main Street program to our downtown.
• Standing by to assist the Northside (Simmons St.) Park property owners as they work to clear title through the probate courts so a new lease and park improvements can move forward.
• Continued evaluation of existing and needed ordinance updates and additions with the City Attorney.
• Continued internal improvements to workflows and processes, including a one-week-in-advance agenda publication standard.
Looking Ahead:
• Tuesday, June 24 @ 6:00 p.m. — Special Council Meeting: public hearings on the FY27 Budget and the elementary school property rezoning, followed by second readings and adoption. Agenda and packet on the City’s website.
• Saturday, June 27 — A Taste of the Market (SOLD OUT).
• Landrum City Hall will be closed on Friday, July 3, 2026, in observance of Independence Day. Regular business hours will resume on Monday, July 6, 2026.
• Coffee with the City: Thursday, July 9, 9:00am Cardinal Coffee & Bistro.
• WSPA 7 NEWS will be in Landrum on Friday, July 10 to film the ZIP TRIP SERIES. Location: Cunningham Market Pavilion.
• Continued follow-up engagement on the Saluda Grade Trail. More information at saludagradetrail.org.
• Every Saturday 8am-12pm: Landrum Farmers Market — come out and enjoy the season!
Questions or concerns? Reach us at 864.457.3000 or requests@cityoflandrumsc.com. We always want to hear from you.
Respectfully,
J.J. Sauve, Interim City Administrator
Tricia Taber, PR/Marketing Director